


Encounters

by nathaniel_hp



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-20
Updated: 2014-01-20
Packaged: 2018-01-09 10:10:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1144729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nathaniel_hp/pseuds/nathaniel_hp
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes things happen to us and we cannot be sure how exactly they started, even if we know exactly when they ended.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Encounters

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Alley_Skywalker](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alley_Skywalker/gifts).



> Written for the 2013/14 winter exchange at rarepair_shorts on LJ.

_May 1976_

“Oi you! What are you doing out of your tower this late at night?” Evan had watched the boy limping along the corridor, making his way back to the Gryffindor tower at a painfully slow pace. He had followed him and waited until he was just one corner away from the safe haven of his common room when he called out. The boy turned and frowned at Evan. It was only ten past eight. Were the boy a Slytherin, Evan wouldn’t have bothered to say anything at all, but the red tie begged him to take some points.

“It’s hardly late at night, but if you have to know, I’m on my way back to my tower as we speak. In fact, I am almost in my tower.”

“Well,” Evan smirked, “you should have left the library earlier, shouldn’t you?”

“Should have, but couldn’t. I had library duties this evening. You can check with Madam Pince, if you must.”

This Gryffindor certainly had a quick tongue, Evan had to admit. 

“I will. You have no excuse to drag your feet on your way back, though, do you?”

“Drag my feet?” The boy barked out an unamused chuckle. “In case you didn’t notice: I am injured.” He tapped his wand against his left leg.

“And how exactly is that my problem?”

“It isn’t. And now, if you please, I will return to my common room.” Just before he turned the corner, he looked back over his shoulder and mimicked Evan’s smirk. “By the way, I have library duties again tomorrow evening, just so you’re warned.” And with that he was gone.

Well, that was interesting, Evan mused. He wasn’t surprised by the lack of respect for authority – he expected nothing less in a Gryffindor. What surprised him was how much he’d enjoyed their little banter. He had even forgotten to take points. He’d have to make up for it tomorrow evening.

Back in the common room, he cornered Snape. “Who’s the Gryffindor who always hangs out with Potter and Black?”

“Why?” 

“Caught him out after curfew today.”

“Short and chubby?”

“No, skinny. A little short, though, yes.”

“Lupin,” Snape spat.

“Lupin, great.”

“Caught your attention, has he?” Snape looked at him in disbelief.

“Not in that sense, but I plan to catch him again tomorrow night.” Evan and Snape shared a grin.

~~*~~

“Thought I might see you again,” Lupin commented drily when he left the library and saw Evan lean against the wall outside. “Come to escort me back to my common room.”

“Wouldn’t want to miss the opportunity to dock some points. And I have to make sure you don’t take any detours.”

Lupin snorted. “No detours for me until the leg is healed.”

“Quidditch accident?” Evan enquired.

“None of your business.”

“Fair enough.” Evan had fallen in beside him, taking small, slow steps to match his pace.

Silently, they walked beside each other for a few moments until Lupin stopped and turned to face him.

“Look – Rosier, right?” – Evan nodded – “I have no idea what you want from me. If you want to take points from my house, please do and be done with it. I don’t need a Slytherin prefect of all people to escort me to my dorm.”

Well, Lupin certainly did not beat around the bush. 

“Impatient, are we? Fair enough, then. Five points for being out after curfew.” Evan checked his watch. Five past eight. “And five more for your insolence. Now off you go, Lupin.”

“Insolence? That’s ridiculous. You were the one following me!” he spat, then turned around and hurried along the corridor as fast as his leg allowed. “Stupid Slytherin git,” Evan heard him grumble under his breath.

~~*~~

“You again,” Lupin said as he saw Evan watch him from a bench in the courtyard.

Evan ignored him, turning his attention back to the book in his lap. Lupin moved away, then returned to stand right in front of Evan.

“You know,” he said seriously, “you can’t just take points from me and then ignore me.” 

What the – Evan glared at Lupin only to find that one corner of his mouth was quirked up in a shy grin. Evan did not want him to leave, but he saw a group of his friends walk up to them.

“What do you want from me, Lupin?” he asked, making sure he sounded suitably annoyed. 

“All right there, Rosier? Gryffindor scum isn’t giving you trouble, is he?” Avery called out.

“All good. He’s just arguing over some points I took the other night.”

Lupin glared at him, then as Evan’s housemates began to cut off his escape route, he ran off. So his leg was healed.

~~*~~

Evan had checked the roster to make sure Lupin would be the last student to leave the library tonight. When he emerged at last, Evan pushed himself off the wall and stepped up to him.

“Follow me, please,” he told Lupin.

“Why?”

Merlin, did he always have to argue? “Because I say so.”

Lupin raised his eyebrows and didn’t move.

Evan glared at him. “Fine. Because I ask you to,” he finally said.

Lupin’s eyebrows contracted into a frown and he cocked his head to one side, eyeing Evan suspiciously.

“I won’t take any points from Gryffindor,” Evan added.

Lupin still frowned, but he nodded and slowly followed Evan.

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll see.”

“Yeah, but I’m not sure I’ll like what I’ll see. Don’t try to fuck with me, Rosier, or I’ll make sure the whole school knows about it!”

_Fuck with me._ Interesting choice of words, Evan thought. “Always so suspicious. We’re here.” 

He pushed aside the tapestry and opened the hidden door with a quick wave of his wand. “After you,” he said, as he held open the door.

Lupin hesitated before he moved to peer into the opening. 

“Trust me,” Evan whispered. 

He cast a spell to illuminate the candles around the roof-garden. Lupin gasped.

“Wow! This is – I didn’t know – How did you find this place?” He turned to look at Evan.

“You didn’t seriously believe we only have rooms in the dungeons, did you?” He saw Lupin cast a wary glance around the room and added, “Don’t worry, it’s just us here tonight.”

“Why?” was Lupin’s only reply.

Dear gods, how on earth anyone succeeded in dealing with argumentative little shits like this Gryffindor, Evan had no idea. All this was probably nothing but a massive mistake. If any of his housemates found out he’d requested undisturbed usage of the garden so he could bring up a Gryffindor, he’d have hell to pay. Same if Lupin decided to tell anyone. And all this because of Snape’s stupid comment and because Evan couldn’t say no to a dare. Though when he saw Lupin look around in wonder, Evan was no longer sure it was just that. Lupin’s eyes sparkled in the candle light. 

“I better get back to the dorm,” Lupin said wistfully as the sun began to rise. “If I don’t get back before the others wake, I’ll never hear the end of Sirius’s nagging. And I can’t really tell them what happened, can I?”

Evan shook his head and escorted Lupin to the door. Lupin hesitated.

“I still don’t know why you took me here, but thank you.”

Evan nodded. 

“Will I … will we … I mean,” Lupin stuttered, then fell silent. 

It was the first time Evan has seen him at a loss for words. 

“I’d like that,” he replied. “I’ll check the library roster and find you. Just make sure no one suspects anything.”

“Okay,” Lupin murmured. He took a step toward Evan. Evan’s heart started beating furiously and he made to close the gap between them, when Lupin blushed and hurried out of the door. 

At breakfast, however, Evan caught Lupin staring at him across the Great Hall. When their eyes locked, Lupin smiled. Trust a Gryffindor to muck things up. Evan glowered at him, even as Snape elbowed him in the ribs and whispered, “Looks like I was right after all. I can’t believe you actually went through with it, Rosier.”

“Oh, shut up, Snape.”

“Lupin will be heartbroken when he finds out you were only playing with him.”

“Don’t tell him,” Evan hissed.

Snape’s reply was the tiniest hint of a smirk.

~~*~~

_June 1976_

It took a couple of weeks for their rosters to match again. Not that Evan couldn’t have changed shifts with his fellow prefects, but after Lupin’s stunt in the Great Hall the other day he didn’t want to draw any more attention than necessary to himself. Evan waited in an alcove close to the library, but Lupin never showed up. Didn’t the Gryffindors keep their schedules up to date? Evan realised that Lupin had not been at breakfast that morning, either. He knew he should just let things be, just wait until they ran into each other again - after all, Lupin couldn’t very well disappear from Hogwarts – but Evan’s feet were already carrying him over to the hospital wing. Because really, where else would Lupin be if he didn’t show up for his meals or library duties?

Evan made sure no one was around before he slipped into the infirmary. Everything was quiet. In the faint light that poured out of the matron’s office, he saw that all but one bed were unoccupied. 

Lupin was asleep. He looked drawn, the dark circles under his eyes stood out prominently on his pale face. His left arm was heavily bandaged. Evan carefully sat down on the edge of the bed and stretched out his hand for the fingers sticking out of the bandages. 

“Oi! What are you doing? Get away from him!” someone hissed behind him.

Evan jumped up, turned around but froze in his movement when Lupin startled awake and croaked sleepily, “Rosier, what on earth are you doing here?” 

He sounded more surprised than angry which could not be said for Lupin’s friends. They glared at Evan from the foot of the bed and would no doubt have yelled at him if Madam Pomfrey hadn’t emerged from her office.

“What is this ruckus? What are you all doing here? Do you know what time it is?” Madam Pomfrey quickly checked on her patient who stared at all of them wide-eyed and silent. 

“We were just,” began Potter, but Evan cut him off.

“I followed them here. They were out in the corridors after curfew.”

“Commendable, Mr Rosier. But why is it that you stand closer to Mr Lupin if you followed them, I wonder.”

Inquisitive hag. “I wanted to make sure that he was all right. That they hadn’t done anything to him while he lay incapacitated.”

“He’s our friend, you bloody –“

“Mr Black! That’s enough. You three, move over there and wait for your head of house to arrive. Mr Rosier, out with you. I’m sure you have Prefect duties that require your attention. And don’t think that your head of house won’t hear of this.”

With one last look at Lupin – Evan thought he saw the faintest hint of a smile on his face – Evan left, making sure his shoulder connected painfully with Black’s chest on the way out.

~~*~~

_May 1978_

War was upon them and people were choosing their sides. In a couple of weeks’ time, at the beginning of the summer holidays, Evan would become a Death Eater.

“I’ve come to say goodbye. We can’t see each other anymore.”

Lupin merely nodded.

“You know what my father is, don’t you?” Evan continued.

Lupin nodded again.

“Have you swallowed your tongue?” Evan grinned though there was nothing funny about all this.

“You don’t have to do it, Evan,” Lupin said urgently. “Talk to Dumbledore, he will help.”

“No.”

“Please, Evan.”

“I said no. You better go now.” He turned around and stared out of the window into the darkness.

Lupin did not say another word but it took what felt like an eternity for him to reach the door.

**~~*~~ ~~*~~**

_May 1980_

Sirius pulled the parchment off the owl’s leg and unfolded it. He skimmed over the letter, frowned, then said, “Listen to this, Remus. Who did you meet in _Heaven_ last night?”

He read the letter:  
 _R,_  
Remember the last thing you said to me. I’d like to do it now.  
E.

Remus snatched the parchment out of Sirius’s hand and re-read the message. “Evan,” he whispered.

“What was that?”

“Nothing. I need to contact Dumbledore.” Remus strode out of the kitchen and locked himself in his room. He didn’t emerge again, and it was Sirius who barged in later that day with another parchment clutched in his fist.

“They did it, Remus. They caught the Death Eaters. All dead now!”

“Who?”

“The Aurors, of course. Didn’t you listen to Mad-Eye on Friday? He told us all about the plan.”

“No, the Death Eaters, who were they?”

“What does it matter?”

“Sirius.”

“Okay, calm down. Let’s see.” He scanned the parchment again. “Wilkes, one of them was called Wilkes.”

Remus released the breath he was holding.

“And the other,” Sirius continued, “Rosier, the younger one. He’s an important one.”

“He was,” Remus replied. “Yes, he was important.” He stared off into space and looked as if he was about to cry. 

“It’s great news, Moony. An important victory.” 

“Yes, yes, great. Great news,” Remus murmured distractedly. His knuckles turned white as he crumpled up the piece of parchment in his hand.


End file.
